Some uniform numbers are unforgettable. Michael Jordan’s 23, for example.

Here, Rick Mount’s No. 10 is a treasured number in Purdue basketball history. Same goes for Drew Brees’ No. 15 for Boilermaker football.

In this ongoing series, we’ll look at who wore 1 to 99 best in Purdue football’s old gold and black. There’s no better place to begin than No. 1, which according to Purdue records was first handed out to kicker Frank Conner in 1972.

No. 1

Steve Jackson(Photo: The Tennessean)

The pick: Steve Jackson

The defensive back was a bright spot during some lean years, earning Gannett All-American honors in 1990. Despite Purdue’s struggles on the field, Jackson emerged as a third round draft pick of the Houston Oilers in 1991. Jackson would help the Tennessee Titans reach Super Bowl XXXIV and finish with 13 career interceptions. He’s now safeties coach for the New York Jets.

Honorable mention: Steve Bryant, who caught 11 touchdown passes as a senior in 1981; Akeem Hunt rushed for 2,035 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2011-14; Running back D.J. Knox enters his senior year 30 yards shy of 1,000 for his career.

Did you know?: Keith Carlos (2009-2010) began a modeling career after brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants in the NFL. He became America’s Next Top Model’s first male winner in 2014. … Bryant won more than $16,000 as a contestant on CBS’ Press Your Luck in 1985.

No. 2

The pick: Steve Griffin

The wide receiver played a major role in Purdue’s unexpected Peach Bowl run in 1984, catching 64 passes from Jim Everett for 1,060 yards and five touchdowns. He finished with 2,234 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

Honorable mention: Elijah Sindelar may well unseat Griffin before his time is up at Purdue. For now, the quarterback is best known for leading the Boilermakers to victories over Iowa, Indiana and Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl with a torn ACL. … Ray Williams was one of the higher-profile wide receiver recruits in the Joe Tiller era, making 25 starts during his first three seasons. Williams moved to cornerback midway through his senior season. He adapted quickly enough to earn a starting job after three practices.

Did you know?: Derrick Brown (31), Chris Clopton (23), Frankie Williams (24), Justin Siller (5) and Torri Williams (13) were notable Boilermakers in the past 25 years also wore No. 2 before assuming their more familiar uniform numbers at Purdue.

No. 3

The running back sealed his spot in Purdue football history when he helped the Boilermakers clinch their second Rose Bowl berth with a career-high 208 yards and four touchdowns against Indiana in 2000. Lowe fell two yards shy of a 1,000-yard rushing season as a sophomore in 2000. He ranks among Purdue's all-time rushing leaders with 2,648 yards.

Honorable mention: Linebacker John Reeves (1995-98) was a quarterback until the arrival of Joe Tiller in West Lafayette. With the position in the good hands of Billy Dicken and Drew Brees, Reeves moved to defense for his junior and senior seasons. His athletic ability earned him a spot on the San Diego Chargers roster for two seasons; Dwayne Beckford (2009-11) was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 2011, and recorded 209 tackles in his career before legal problems led to his suspension from the team in 2012.

Did you know?: Derrick Taylor, a cornerback in the early 1980s, is the younger brother of Kool and The Gang lead singer James Taylor.

No. 4

A four-year starter at linebacker, Bentley recorded 11.5 tackles for loss among his career-best 97 total tackles in 2017. His 76-yard interception return for a touchdown against Minnesota may have helped convince the New England Patriots to draft him in the fifth round this past April.

Honorable mention: Bentley just edged out another linebacker, Mike Rose (1997-99), who was one of the early defensive standouts of the Tiller era. He made three interceptions in a 1997 victory against Northwestern and scored three defensive touchdowns that season; Junior college transfer Anthony Chambers (2002-03) was a versatile player, fielding punts and kickoffs in addition to serving as a starting wide receiver. He returned one punt for a touchdown in 2002 and 2003; O.J. Ross (2010-12) was one of coach Danny Hope's major speed finds in Florida but off the field issues derailed a promising career. Ross helped Purdue reach two bowl games with 33 receptions for 356 yards and three touchdowns in 2011 and 56 catches for 454 yards and two scores in 2012.

Did you know?: Brandon Hance, not Kyle Orton, was the successor to Drew Brees as Purdue's quarterback in 2001. Hance threw for 1,529 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions before giving way to Orton. Hance transferred to USC after his sophomore season, where he completed 5 of 10 passes for 50 yards over his final two years of eligibility.

No. 5

The pick: Shawn McCarthy

McCarthy is regarded as one of the best punters in Purdue history, averaging 41.1 yards per punt for his career, including 44.6 as a senior in 1989. McCarthy also briefly pulled off a rare double-double, stepping in at quarterback in 1987 following the transfer of Jeff George to Illinois. McCarthy threw for 1,088 yards that year but coach Fred Akers wasn't too enamored with his five touchdowns to 11 interceptions ratio. The McCarthy quarterback experiment ended the following year after he passed for 439 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Honorable mention: Running back Arlee Conners (1990-93) was a perfect fit for Jim Colletto's power rushing attack until the arrival of All-American Mike Alstott. Conners' best season was his junior year with 154 carries for 676 yards and four touchdowns;

Did you know?: McCarthy set a New England Patriots record on Nov. 3, 1991 with a 93-yard punt against the Buttalo Bills. At the time, it was the third-longest punt in NFL history and the longest since the NFL-AFL merger in the 1960s.

Who would you have chosen as Purdue's best to wear Nos. 1 through 5? Email me at kthompson@jconline.com.